Togo opposition leader threatens poll boycott

Togo's opposition leader is threatening to boycott an election slated for October if the president doesn't seek consensus on electoral reforms.

Jean-Pierre Fabre spoke Saturday during a protest march in Lome, the capital. Fabre accused President Faure Gnassingbe of preparing the elections as an "electoral coup d'etat." He says reforms favor areas in the country's north that are strongholds for that party.

Government spokesman Pascal Bodjona says Gnassingbe has been open to dialogue with opposition parties, trade unions and others.

Fabre's supporters previously accused Gnassingbe of manipulating the outcome of a 2010 vote by bribing voters with money and bags of rice.